OHL This Week: Jan. 18 to 21, 2018

The 2018 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Guelph is just around the corner and fast-paced action continues around the OHL This Week. Here’s a look at what’s going on.

BOUCHARD, MERKLEY, SVECHNIKOV NAMED SHERWIN-WILLIAMS CHL/NHL TOP PROSPECTS GAME LEADERS:

A trio of OHL competitors in London Knights defenceman Evan Bouchard, Guelph Storm rearguard Ryan Merkley and Barrie Colts forward Andrei Svechnikov have been named assistant captains for the 2018 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game set for January 25th in Guelph. Bouchard and Merkley will join forces on Team Cherry while Svechnikov suits up for Team Orr. Read more

GREYHOUNDS, BULLDOGS AND STING IN CHL TOP 10 RANKINGS:

The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds remain the top ranked team in the CHL this week, continuing a string of 29 games unbeaten in regulation entering Friday. The Hamilton Bulldogs hold strong at fifth in the rankings while the Sarnia Sting climb one spot to number eight. Full Rankings

GREYHOUNDS’ RADDYSH NAMED OHL ‘ON THE RUN’ PLAYER OF THE WEEK & CHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK:

Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Taylor Raddysh of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds is both the OHL ‘On the Run’ Player of the Week and the CHL Player of the Week for the week ending January 14 after leading the league with nine points in three games including four goals and five assists with a plus-minus rating of plus-5. Raddysh returned to OHL action following a gold medal performance with Canada’s National Junior Team and delivered three multi-point efforts in his first week with the Greyhounds helping them earn a trio of victories to extend their point-streak to 29. Read more

Raddysh was also featured in last week’s OHL News – Radio Edition with host Terry Doyle and presented by Bauer. Listen

WAWANESA OHL PLAYS OF THE WEEK:

The 16th edition of the Wawanesa OHL Plays of the Week for the 2017-18 season feature another collection of the league’s Top-5 goals scored in the week ending January 14. This week’s highlights include some great work by teammates including Matthew Timms with a stretch pass to Bobby Dow for a Peterborough Petes goal, the Kitchener Rangers duo of Adam Mascherin and Kole Sherwood working their magic, and the Oshawa Generals top line of Jack Studnicka, Serron Noel, and Renars Krastenbergs with some beautiful passing. A pair of individual efforts also top the list with some strong puck protection skills by Michael McLeod of the Mississauga Steelheads, and patience pays off for Kyle Maksimovich of the Erie Otters. Watch

VOTE KYLE MAKSIMOVICH IN #CIBCSHOWDOWN:

Erie Otters forward Kyle Maksimovich not only headlines the Wawanesa OHL Plays of the Week, but is also the OHL representative featured in this week’s #CIBCShowdown which showcases one great play from all three leagues allowing fans the opportunity to choose their favourite play. See all the plays and vote at chlshowdown.ca.

JOYFUL JANUARY CONTINUES FOR OHL GOALTENDERS ON JANES SAVES OF THE WEEK:

January continues to be joyful for OHL goaltenders who stay hot despite the cold in the latest edition of #JanesSaves. This week features seven goaltenders including Anthony Popovich of the Guelph Storm, Olivier Tremblay of the Ottawa 67’s, Tyler Johnson of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, Stephen Dhillon of the Niagara IceDogs, Jordan Kooy of the London Knights, Jacob Ingham of the Mississauga Steelheads, and Luke Richardson of the Kitchener Rangers, plus defenceman Austin Osmanski of the Peterborough Petes. Watch

CULINA, ENNIS, ROWE FEATURED IN OHL MILESTONE MOMENTS THIS WEEK:

Oshawa Generals defenceman William Ennis and London Knights rookie Lucas Rowe both scored their first career OHL goals this past week while Kitchener Rangers goaltender Mario Culina earned his first OHL shutout. Check out the highlights in this week’s OHL Milestone Moments. Watch

OHL CUP POWERED BY UNDER ARMOUR TOP 10 RANKINGS RELEASED:

The ninth edition of the weekly OHL Cup Powered by Under Armour Top 10 Rankings sees the Oakville Rangers return to second spot while the Mississauga Reps also climb one spot to number three. The Toronto Jr. Canadiens and Don Mills Flyers switch positions, with the former taking possession of fifth. The York-Simcoe Express leapfrog the Niagara North Stars for eighth in the rankings. The Mississauga Rebels make their season debut as an honourable mention. Full Rankings

A new development camp is being offered in the Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF) to introduce young goaltenders to the skills, concepts and techniques of the Hockey Canada Program of Excellence Goaltending Program. In partnership with Hockey Canada and the Ontario Hockey League, the OHF will host one camp in April for up to 36, 2004-born male goaltenders. These U14 goaltenders will be under the instruction and leadership of goaltending experts working with a curriculum from Hockey Canada’s High Performance Goaltending Advisory Group. Read more

STING HONOUR FRANCHISE GREAT STEVEN STAMKOS:

The Sarnia Sting celebrated the decorated career of a franchise cornerstone on Friday, raising Steven Stamkos’ number 91 to the rafters. The former first overall OHL Priority Selection choice and first overall NHL Draft pick left his mark on the Sting franchise, recording 197 points (100-97–197) over 124 games from 2006-08. Watch

ETHAN LANGEVIN COMMITS TO STING:

The Sarnia Sting have received a commitment from 2017 sixth round pick Ethan Langevin. The 16-year-old goaltender is currently playing for the OJHL’s Pickering Panthers Jr. A club, recording a 2.79 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage over 19 games. The Brooklin, Ont. native is a graduate of the Whitby Wildcats Minor Midgets. Read more

BOUCHARD, MAKSIMOVICH, RHODES EARN THE ‘C’:

Three OHL clubs named new captains this past week following roster movement at the OHL trade deadline. The London Knights tabbed third-year defenceman Evan Bouchard as the club’s new captain while Erie Otters fourth-year vet Kyle Maksimovich and Sudbury Wolves overage blueliner Kyle Rhodes were also assigned the ‘C’.

The latest edition of Mastercard Junior Hockey Magazine with Gino Reda takes a look at some of the top prospects eligible for the 2018 NHL Draft. Director of NHL Central Scouting Dan Marr discusses a few names set to compete in the upcoming 2018 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on January 25th in Guelph, Ont. Listen

COMMUNITY CORNER:

Grain Farmers of Ontario visit London, Sarnia, Oshawa: Grain Farmers of Ontario are coming to an OHL city near you over the course of the next two months! Great partners of the OHL, Grain Farmers come to London and Sarnia on Friday before visiting Oshawa on Sunday, bringing with them trading cards and a love for OHL hockey. Be on the look out for Grain Farmers of Ontario this weekend. Details.

IceDogs donate more than $30,000 to local charities: The Niagara IceDogs have donated more than $30,000 to two deserving charities in the Niagara region over the last two weeks. IceDogs owners Bill & Denise Burke presented a $15,000 cheque to Community Care of St. Catharines & Thorold with funds raised through the Dogs’ Ugly Christmas specialty jerseys. The team presented a cheque of $15,350 to Autism Ontario’s Niagara Chapter from Autism Awareness jerseys worn on Oct. 21st. Read more

Firebirds continue to fight hunger this weekend: Firebirds Fight Hunger Month continues on Saturday night as Flint hosts the Soo Greyhounds. In partnership with the Foodbank of Eastern Michigan, fans can bring in five non-perishable food items to any Firebirds’ home game in the month of January to receive a complimentary sponsored silver level ticket, limit of four tickets per person.

Spitfires host Superhero Game: The Windsor Spitfires will be donning special superhero jerseys for Sunday’s home matinee against the Flint Firebirds. A total of $5 per ticket will be donated to the ‘Fight Like Mason Foundation’, a fund engaged in the fight against paediatric cancer.

#MMC100 Tour visits Kingston: The CHL’s 100th Mastercard Memorial Cup celebrations continued this past week in Kingston, the third of six scheduled stops in Ontario following Ottawa and Barrie, and ahead of Sarnia in February, along with Owen Sound and St. Catharines in March. Recap

ALUMNI NOTES:

Lindros to have #88 retired by Flyers: Oshawa Generals graduate Eric Lindros will have his #88 retired by the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. The Hall of Fame centreman will be honoured prior to puck drop when the Flyers host the Toronto Maple Leafs at Wells Fargo Center, the building he helped open back in 1996. Lindros amassed 865 points (372-493–865) over 760 career NHL games, 486 of which he played with Philadelphia. Lindros played parts of three seasons with the Oshawa Generals from 1989-92, collecting 216 points (97-119–216) over 95 games while leading the Generals to a Mastercard Memorial Cup title in 1990. He’ll be behind the bench for Team Orr at the 2018 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Guelph next week. Read more at NHL.com.

Bertuzzi scores first NHL goal: Guelph Storm graduate and former OHL Champion Tyler Bertuzzi scored his first career NHL goal on Sunday, helping the Detroit Red Wings blank the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0. The 22-year-old Sudbury, Ont. native has six points (1-5–6) through his first 10 NHL games after becoming a fan favourite with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, earning AHL Playoff MVP honours in their title run last spring. The left-winger played four OHL seasons in Guelph from 2011-15, recording 71 goals, 101 assists and 172 points over 201 games.

Dal Colle makes NHL debut: Kingston Frontenacs graduate and long-time Oshawa Generals winger Michael Dal Colle made his NHL debut with the New York Islanders on Saturday. Dal Colle had a shot on goal and played 13:33 in a 7-2 win over the rival New York Rangers. The 21-year-old from Woodbridge, Ont. was the fifth overall pick of the 2014 NHL Draft and had 18 points (5-13–18) over 34 games with the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers this season. The 6-foot-2 left-winger left his mark on the OHL, recording 316 career points (131-185–316) over 246 regular season games.

Pedan named AHL Player of the Week: Guelph Storm graduate Andrey Pedan has been named the AHL Player of the Week. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defenceman had three goals, two assists and five points in two road games last week as the Pens extended their winning streak to seven games. The 6-foot-5, 218Ib. Russian blueliner has skated in 31 games this season, recording five goals, 11 assists and 16 points. Pedan has played in 13 career NHL games after being a third round pick of the New York Islanders in 2011. In his three seasons with the Storm from 2010-13, he recorded 26 goals, 70 assists and 96 points in 174 games.

Amadio recalled by Kings on 17-game AHL point streak: The Los Angeles Kings have called up North Bay Battalion graduate Mike Amadio from the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Amadio is in the midst of a 17-game AHL point streak and leads the Reign in scoring with 34 points (11-23–34) over 30 games. The 21-year-old Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. native was a third round pick by the Kings in 2014 before completing a four-year career with the North Bay Battalion. Amadio racked up 226 points (92-134–226) in 263 OHL regular season games, becoming the Battalion’s first 50-goal scorer in franchise history during 2015-16.

Giftopoulos named AUS Male Athlete of the Week: Windsor Spitfires graduate Remy Giftopoulos of the Acadia Axemen’s Men’s Hockey Team has been named AUS Male Athlete of the Week. The Ancaster, Ont. native helped the sixth-ranked Axemen to a pair of wins with three goals and an assist. The 25-year-old played parts of five OHL seasons between Ottawa and Windsor from 2009-14, recording 61 goals, 60 assists and 121 points over 230 career regular season games. Now in his third year at Acadia, Giftopoulos has 10 goals, 13 assists and 23 points in 29 games this season.

The recently reloaded Kingston Frontenacs have some ground to make up in the East Division and look to make a dent in their 12-point trail behind the first place Hamilton Bulldogs who added a few big pieces of their own.

The Fronts host the Bulldogs on Friday in a matchup of two clubs that went to Game 7 in the first round of the OHL Playoffs last spring before Kingston took a 3-2 overtime win.

Los Angeles Kings prospect Gabe Vilardi has had an immediate impact in his return to his hometown of Kingston, collecting nine points (2-7–9) in his first six games. Meanwhile Bulldogs forward Matthew Strome has had a hot hand of late, scoring 10 times in his last 11 games.

The battle for the Central Division has heated up with the Niagara IceDogs leapfrogging the Barrie Colts for first place last weekend. The Dogs defeated the Colts 6-3 on Friday before beating Erie Saturday night to push their winning streak to three.

The Colts get their shot at redemption on home ice Saturday night as the IceDogs come to town holding a two-point lead atop the Central.

IceDogs addition Sam Miletic has seven points (4-3–7) through his first three games with Niagara while Vegas Golden Knights prospect Ben Jones has points in 13 of the last 14 games.

Top 2018 NHL Draft prospect Andrei Svechnikov has produced points in eight of his last 10 games for Barrie while overage standout Aaron Luchuk leads the club in scoring with 63 points (34-29–63) over 42 games.

SCHEDULE:

Thursday January 18:Sudbury at North Bay – 7:00pm
London at Windsor – 7:05pm
Kingston at Peterborough – 7:05pm
Saginaw at Barrie – 7:30pm

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